Mayor Berry Receives Humanitarian Award

Mayor Richard J. Berry is awarded for the Albuquerque Heading Home Initiative from the Duke City DocFest

Albuquerque – Mayor Richard J. Berry received some applause and an award from the local documentary festival, Duke City DocFest, on Wednesday, Oct. 12 for his Albuquerque Heading Home Initiative.

In honor of the Mayor’s dedication and creation of the ABQ Heading Home project, the Duke City DocFest and Festival Director Jesse Quackenbush awarded the Mayor with a crystal clock.

“This clock signifies the sense of urgency that the Mayor allotted to this project,” said Quackenbush. “The Mayor promised to get 75 people struggling with homelessness off the streets…that is a promise that I’m confident he’s going to make good on.”

“This award really belongs to the citizens of Albuquerque and all the volunteers and City staff who have put their heart and soul into doing the right thing for the chronically homeless.” said Mayor Berry. “We can make a positive impact on human outcomes while saving valuable resources for our community. If our City didn’t stand up and take action, who would?”

The ABQ Heading Home project was launched by the Mayor in February of 2011. The initial phase consisted of hundreds of City of Albuquerque employees and volunteers hitting the streets and surveying people struggling with chronic homelessness. Their goal was to identify and house 75 of the most vulnerable in our community by the end of February 2012. The program will continue to identify and help the chronically homeless into the future. The City just received a $1,5000,000 grant from the SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) to assist with these efforts.